After running around all afternoon paying bills, it can be easy to come home and make something quick. Microwave this, microwave that. It can be easy but easy is not always was I want. I have found that when you take a deep breath after a long day, woosah and slow down, you can pull together a dinner in less than two hours of total prep/make time.

That happened today. I paid bills, came home, cut my potatoes, snipped my green beans, prepped my meatloaf and kneaded dough for biscuits. It was really not that much, although it seems like it can be. But when you cut out canned and microwavable goods in your household, you kind of have no choice.

Dinner tonight consisted of homemade mashed potatoes.

Partially peel and cut into one inch pieces 4 large potatoes. Clean and add to a pot of boiling water (or half water/half chicken broth....or add in one chicken bouillon cube to the pot). Boil until tender. Pour liquid into a heat proof container and begin mashing your potatoes, adding in liquid until you get the consistency you want. Pour in 1/4 milk or sour cream, mix well.



Lemon and Garlic Green Beans

Snip the ends of your cleaned green beans and place in skillet with 1/4 cup of butter and 1 smashed and chopped garlic clove. Add in 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper and squeeze in one whole lemon. Cook on low until tender.



Buttermilk Gravy

In skillet on high, add in 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Add in 3 tbsp of flour and stir. It will begin to bubble and brown. Quickly add in 1 cup of buttermilk and stir well. Add in one half of a chicken bouillon cube. Stir in 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Turn off heat. Smash down on any lumps and stir until smooth.  If too thick, slowly add water 1/4 cup at a time while stirring.



I will be back with a more detailed recipe of how I make my meatloaf. My 16 year old told me tonight, "Mama you need to stop cooking so much good food! I want more" Mission accomplished.

When it comes to making red beans and rice, I do them two ways.  One is super easy using cocktail sausages, canned beans and gravy mix. The other uses traditional sausage, dried red beans, and tomatoes.

For this one, I used the latter method. It takes a bit longer because you have to slow cook the beans.

You will need:

1 bag of dry red beans
2-3 knorr chicken bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons of dried Italian seasoning
1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles
1 package of sausage links or bratwurst


In large pot rinse your dried beans and then fill with water. Mix in two Knorr cubes. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium.  Cook on medium for one hour, stirring to prevent sticking to the pot. Reduce heat to low and cook another hour.  Check the softness of the beans.  Cook until beans are tender and not chalky.

You can also cook your beans in a crockpot. Cook on low for about 4-6 hours.

The beans will make their own 'gravy' from cooking so long.

After beans are cooked, you can taste to make sure they have flavor. If not enough, add in one more Knorr cube. Cook until it is dissolved.

Slice your sausages and saute in skillet.



Place sausages and can of Rotel into the beans.

Serve over rice.

Being  a single and divorced mom of four means Mother's Day is usually spent with me doing all the cooking. Of course, I don't mind at all since cooking is something I love to do. I like to feed my family, plan something for them and the smiles on their faces knowing I made just a little extra effort is all the Mother's Day gift I need. That and of course the handmade cards from my kids...priceless.

Here in the South, we have tons of 'comfort foods'. Our idea of comfort food is something hearty, warming and filling. Chicken and dumplings, mac and cheese, chicken spaghetti, dressing, and of course, red beans and rice. Red beans and rice is one of those foods that is perfect for a cold day and being in the 20s and 30s the last few days (yeah, we are NOT used to such temperatures) red beans and rice seemed the perfect dinner for my little ones when they got home from school. Besides, they never can seem to resist cocktail smokies.

Most people make this with any type of sausage link or brats, but after becoming a mom I found cocktail smokies are the right bite size already and no need for the extra step of slicing up tons of sausage. You can slice the cocktail weinies in half though if making for children.



You will need:
2 packages of cocktail smokies (or one package of smoked sausage or brats, sliced)
2 packets of Brown Gravy Mix
2 Maggi or Knorr Chicken bouillon cubes
1 small bag of Dry Red Kidney Beans
Cooked Rice

I used dried beans which drives up the cooking time a few hours. You can clean and boil the beans in a large pot for 3-4 hours or start them in a crockpot full of water overnight for them to be tender by lunch. If using a crockpot, cook on low until dinner. Add your bouillon cubes to the water no matter which way you decide to cook them.

You can used canned beans but dried is always so good. Beans should be tender and easily mashed if pressed when they are done.

Once your beans are done, mix gravy as directed on package and pour into the reduced heat pot of beans. Stir for a slight thickness to create a nice and savory sauce.

Add in your cocktail smokies or sliced smoked sausage. Turn heat to low until ready to serve.

Serve your red beans over cooked riced and with a slice a cornbread or dinner roll. Truly delicious and oh so filling.